Thankful Weekend

This was such a good weekend! Quiet, busy, fun, relaxing...all at some point!

We celebrated my oldest, little brother's birthday Friday night and our mom went full out in party prep.  First, I must clarify that sometimes, my family can be a little 'nerdy', for lack of a better word, but I love them anyway and it's okay, nerds are awesome people.  They aren't that way all the time, just once in a while! (and this may or may not have been one of those times...)


My brother is a huge LOTR fan and consequently, a Hobbit fan.  He was given the extended special edition version for his birthday (it came in a fancy box with 'stuff'...really pretty cool!).  And so to 'celebrate' his birthday we had dinner and watched the new release.  My mom made a party fit for a king, or really a dwarf or hobbit in this case.

This was my brother's invitation to his 'party'.

                And our way to know which house to gather at.
 (If you've watched the movie or read the book, you'll understand!)

   And the food... so much food.  Every dish was geared toward the movie and how the hobbits ate. And EVERY dish was delicious!! Tolkien and Jackson would have been proud.  There was Lembas bread, fruit, pickles, eggs, cider and ale, chicken, pork pie, apple tarts, Belladonna Took's seed cake.  I don't think I've eaten that much at one meal since, well, I can't remember when! 

A delicious staple when going on an adventure!

 

Even the dwarves   were present. 

 I'm so thankful for brothers!

  I also got to spend a day at The McGladrey Classic PGA Golf Tournament.  Our little island is pretty well known for it's golf courses (and resort!)  And every year the Seaside course is home to this PGA tournament.  The weather was PERFECT!! and the scenery was gorgeous...as usual.  I love having an island full of tourists (90% of the time anyway)  It's so fun to see the little island alive with activity.  (Of course, it's always nice when they all go home and we can have our Village and beaches back!)  This has been a particularly busy couple of weeks, with Halloween/Trick-or-Treat, the county fair, the GA/FL game and now McGladrey.  Next week will seem SO quiet.   I'm so thankful for people visiting our community to keep our local shops running year round and at the same time, so thankful for the peace and quiet between tourist 'seasons'.

Brian Gay, Brian Hartman and Matt Every walking the green

Matt Kucher teeing off at the 11th hole

Celebrating our Military at every hole.

It was a pretty great weekend....and I'm always thankful for time well spent over the weekend!

212 Envelopes

This could be the end of the fundraising.  I've seen this idea in a few places and if it gets completed is usually a very successful fundraiser.  And in this case, could actually make this adoption be 'Fully Funded'.  One little fundraiser, 212 envelopes, could finish off the ransom for a tiny 2 year old girl.  Could it be that easy?  It doesn't hurt to try right?

Here's how this fundraiser works.  There are 212 envelopes, each with a number written on them, both here on this blog and hard copy in my hands.  You chose an envelope and donate that amount of money.  So, if you pick envelope number 22, you'd donate $22.  Once the envelope is chosen and the amount is donated, the envelope is done.  No one else can choose envelope number 22.

There are a few ways to donate ~~
~~ If you click directly on an envelope, it will automatically take you to Josie's GoFundMe account.  That of course will be the easiest and most direct way to fill an envelope.
~~If you would like to use a check, that works as well.  Just send me a message and let me know which envelope you would like to fill. I can give you an address to mail your check and will then mark the envelope as 'full'.
~~Or you can donate to Josie's grant page on Reece's Rainbow.  You can click the link on the right (or click HERE) and it will take you directly to her profile.  (Remember she is known as 'Seraphina' there to help protect her identity.) Again, once you have made a donation there, let me know and I will mark the envelope that you chose as full!

Why 212 envelopes you might ask?  Well, it has been 212 days from today since my LOI was accepted in Josie's country.  212 days since my girl was officially set aside to wait for me.  212 days of waiting to bring her home.  212 days of praying for a little girl I've yet to meet. 212 days of paperwork.  

212 days of worry and wonder. 212 days of happy preparation. 

212 days.

Tomorrow will be 213, the day after 214 and I will continue to count the days until she is in my arms.  

So, pick an envelope.  

Fill it up.
Share.

Be a part of this sweet girl's homecoming and help make counting the days just a little easier.

 

Catching up on being thankful

You'd think it should be easy to quickly post one thing that I'm thankful for each day.  Find a few spare minutes share a ''I'm thankful for  _______ today" and move on.  But apparently it's not as I just can not keep up! (and it's only.day.8!)   I think my problem is too many things to be thankful for and I can't pick the best for the day (which is a good problem, I guess).  (I also get distracted too easily when I'm sitting at the computer....emails to check, messages to reply too, paperwork to finish, etc.)

I'm catching up on days 5, 6 & 7 in this post. 

(I am aware it is November 8, but I WILL post later for today!!)

Tuesday - Day 5 - New Baby
I'm not going to post his picture, because it's really not mine to share, but some friends had their baby today.  He is ADORABLE!!!  One of his big sisters is in my preschool and has been in my room since she was just a few months old. Of course, she's only 14 months old now but they grow so quickly.
(Oh, how her little world is about to change!!!)
 Baby Will was born in to a great loving family, with such awesome parents and 3 older siblings who will love him dearly!!  I'm so excited for them and their new addition.
Welcome to the world, Will.


Wednesday - Day 6 - This kid

I have known this boy since the day he was born. (really even before he was born!)  He's such an adorable little squirt.  I've seen him learn and grow for 20 months and hope to get to be a part of his life for a long time.  I can't wait for J to get to be friends with him and to watch them play together.  I hope he'll show her the ropes of how to 'hang out in the office while mom is working', keep an eye on her at school and not let those bigger kids pick on her, and  help teach her how to be an 'island kid'. 
I took him home after our Wednesday kids night, so his mom could enjoy a little time away and he made me smile the entire night.  He's such a ham!!  I hope he keeps his goofy personality forever (as long as it doesn't get him into trouble when he gets bigger!!)

                                 Love this face! (and the constant motion)                                                                                  

When a 1 year old is walking around holding the phone to his face saying "cheese" and then brings the phone over and squishes his face next to yours to say "cheese".  You have no choice but to indulge in a few 'selfies'.
 


Day 7 -  Giggles

I wish I could put a sound clip in with clips from my day.  I spend my days with little kids.  Part of my day is spent with little babies.  I love floor time.  Getting to just play and explore. Those babies learn so much when the big people just get down on the floor and play with them! And I LOVE to play.  We stack blocks and fill buckets (just to dump them out and fill them up again).  We read stories and sing songs. We make silly faces and noises, we tickle and laugh, throw balls, blow bubbles, crawl (or walk) around and around and around, pushing boxes, chasing toys. And the giggles that come from some of those babies...
it will melt your heart EVERY time. 
I get to spend the other part of my day with bigger little kids. (Mostly older One's and Two's.) 
And still Love.To.Play!! 
Their imagination is starting to show, they can tell such stories but really have no concept of what they are actually saying.  We play inside with kitchens and dollhouses, farms, garages, trucks and blocks.  Puzzles are an all time favorite.  Books and music.  And I am positive that it doesn't matter how old you are, bubbles are still wonderful.  We play outside on slides and bikes, running, jumping, chasing.  They love to 'flip' and spin and 'fall'.  Sometimes I come home at the end of the day and wonder why I'm so sore, "I didn't even work out today".  And then I remember little voices saying "my turn" over and over while they waited to be picked up and turned upside down or spun around or held as they 'swung' from the monkey bars.  Going up the stairs and down the slide, again and again and again. It's the giggles that get me every time.  How can you say no to a happy giggling 2 year old?  It's pretty darn impossible. 
(And I'm pretty sure they ALL know that their giggle is my weakness.)
I am so thankful for those giggles and smiles and to know that soon, my daughter will get to enjoy that play time right along with all of her silly, giggling new friends!















 

Grateful - Day 3 & 4 - Silly things

I love straws.  I know that's silly, but I do.  To drink with, I mean.  Though I am game for a good straw craft and I have actually given a bag of straws as a birthday present.  (And it was probably one of the favorite presents opened at that time!) But really, I love using straws in my drinks.  I love the plastic cups with lids that I can put my lemonade or water in and I always use a straw when I go out to eat.  Which mostly happens on Sunday, after church.  This past Sunday, we went to a little local place for lunch (mmm, best broccoli rice casserole in a 50 mile radius!!).  I love the food at Barbara Jean's but one of my favorite things about this little place is their straws.

 They are ALL bendy straws.  

It's not just the option for the little kid cups or something that you might have to ask for.  

 It's the norm and I love it. 

 

Silly, I know, but I'm okay with that.  

I can't wait to be able to introduce Josie to bendy straws!

 Bendy straws are just one of the millions of silly things that I am anxiously waiting to share with my girl. I'm pretty sure there's a little bit of sass in the tiny bundle that she is and I can't wait to be able to watch her find her silly side.  Making silly noises (I bet she'll be a pro at blowing raspberries!), creating silly dance moves, laughing at silly animals (cats chasing their tails, puppies running around the park) and other silly kids, blowing bubbles in milk cups with bendy straws (messy, but everyone has to try it at least once)... 

I could go on and on.  

 I am so excited for all of the silly moments of getting to be a Mama!

Day 2 - thankful for the little things

I woke up with pink eye this morning, not terribly surprised, as I thought something was up yesterday, but really thought it was just allergies.  I LOVE living on this little island, but allergies are the one thing that I acquired after moving here that I really could do without!!  Anyway, it's not allergies...it's conjunctivitis.  And it stinks. In the midst of my one eyed misery, I am quite greatful for eye drops, kleenex, and tylenol.

(like I said, it's the little things tonight...)

It's also the end of Daylight Savings Time which means....*pause for dramatic effect*..

...an extra.hour.of.sleep!!  

Ah, so joyous. 

And last but not least...

(please no hate messages for this) 

I'm thankful for the Hallmark movie channel on my Roku.

It's November, the Christmas movies have begun. *wink*

I know Thanksgiving comes first, BUT, it really doesn't get much better than a sappy Hallmark christmas movie.  And THAT is what is showing on my TV right now. November Christmas to be exact.

 (Though it's slightly fuzzy to watch with a blurry eyeball, but hey, I'll take what I can get!)

 

Yep, it's one of those movies...there will be tears.

And some things to be thankful for

Today is November 1.  The month of Thanksgiving (for those of us in the USA).  Last November I pledged to post something I was thankful for every day.  I did miss a few and there have been many, many changes since I published all of those thankful posts.  I went back and read through some of them and well, I think this years posts are going to be very similar!  I'm going to try again this year (and hopefully hit a few more days) and we'll see how next year's November will compare.

On the 1st day of November, my items are best described in picture...

 A 'Karaoke trunk' and the cutest pink cowgirl at the mic belting out some "Twinkle, twinkle little star"

 A "Cheesy" Scarecrow

 

Field trips to the patch... 

and trying to get groups of kiddos under the age of 4 to all stay still and smile.

Celebrating 1st birthdays...

by eating pumkins...

and then questioning why anyone would say to stop eating pumpkins

 

    An adorable baby surrounded by pumpkins.... who also feels he must taste the strange orange object.

 

Groups of darling kiddos all dressed up...

With no real concept as to what this 'Trick or Treat' thing really is.....

 But the buckets sure seem tasty!

And realizing, that in the end, maybe this whole pumpkin thing is just too exhausting...

 

I'm thankful that October is over...and November is just beginning.